NEW CONTINENTAL ROUTE.

Shannon News, 9 March 1928, Page 3

NEW CONTINENTAL ROUTE.

WOULD SAVE MILES AND MANY CHANGES. «-^-T.-"t r '.r.-tf ' ■' '• -'■' "'•'■" ■"■' Federal members, led by Mr Arthur Manning, M.P., are advocating the establishment of an alternative trans-con tinental train to West Australia over the Broken Hill line, which has been built to carry fast and heavy traffic (says a Sydney paper). The Minister for Railways (Mr Buttenshaw) said he had not yet considered the scheme, but that when it came before him it would receive favourable . consideration. "Without going fully into the matter," he said, "I'would not care to form a definite opinion, but we have taken on a heavy responsibility in the Broken Hill line, and if such a project 1 will help it to pay, as well as making a better ser-wee available to western people, there is a good deal to be said for it.". The project would mean a saving of 364 miles on the journey from Sydney to Perth, and, probably, a more substantial saving in time than this represents. At present the programme is as follows on one day in the week: Leave Sydney, 7.25 p.m. Melbourne, Monday, 4.30 p.m. Adelaide, Tuesday, 10.45 a.m. Terowic, Tuesday, 4.10 p.m. ■ ; The Broken Hill express which leaves Sydney at 8 a.m. arrives at Broken Hill at 9ja.m. next day. The run to the junction on the main line is only " 170 miles over a 3ft 6in gauge. To bring about direct connection, as the advocates to.the scheme admit, would involve a change of timetables to make .the route popular, but they . claim that the fact that it calls for only one' change of trains from Sydney to Peterborough, (S.A.) instead of four —at Albury, Melbourne, Adelaide, and Terowie—makes it worth while